October – Tyre Safety Awareness Month
October is Tyre safety awareness month and marks the transition in weather change from summery / mild to wintery / hazardous conditions. So, it’s always good to be prepared and make the necessary changes to your tyres and driving habits in advance.
Tyre Safety Month is run by TyreSafe a U.K. based organisation which covers a very broad range of tyre and road safety aspects from holding events, tyre care awareness to highlighting the very real dangers of buying and fitting part-worn tyres.
The Tyresafe organisation has a wealth of information and materials for anyone who is interested in tyre safety, all of which is freely available to download from their website.
This year TyreSafe’s campaign covers all three key areas of routine tyre maintenance: Air pressure; Condition; and Tread depth – ACT. The campaign seeks to encourage all motorists to check their tyres at least once a month every month, and before long journeys.
Don’t ignore your tyres, check:
Check your pressure
You should check your tyre pressures are at the correct level at least once a month and before every long journey. Your vehicle owner’s manual will have the correct pressures for your specific tyres and the data is also often on a sticker inside the fuel filler cap or door surround.
Remember to adjust the pressure depending on the vehicle’s load – your manual will give the correct pressure for light and heavy loads.
Check for Condition
A quick visual check is often enough to identify damage which, if ignored could create serious problems.
Look for anything stuck in the tyre and check for cracks, splits or bulges anywhere around the tyre.
Any of these could indicate further internal damage and a weakening of the tyre. At best this could lead to an inconvenient flat, at worst it could cause a dangerous blowout while driving.
Check the tread
The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread, around its entire circumference. However, most experts recommend that tyres are replaced once the tread falls below 3mm.
A proper tread gauge only costs a few pounds but if you don’t have one you can use the 20p test. Push a 20p coin into the tread of the tyre.
If the outer band of the coin is obscured when it is inserted, then your tread is above the legal limit.
If you can see the outer band, your tyre may be illegal, and you should get it checked by a professional immediately.
Now more than ever it is essential for drivers to complete their daily walk around check.
While the vehicle walk around check may seem like a mundane task, its importance should never be under-estimated. By taking the time to carry out just a few simple checks, including an assessment of tyre condition, commercial vehicle drivers can greatly reduce the risk of breakdowns and improve safety on the roads.
Talk to us today to find out how you can digitise your daily walk around checks.